ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wake — a trail
  5. board — a committee
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. spell — letters
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. spring — the season
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. board — to get on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com